The FIDE
Laws of Chess cover over-the-board play.
The English text is the authentic version of the Laws of Chess, which was
adopted at the 75th FIDE Congress at Calvia (Mallorca),
October 2004, coming into force on 1 July 2005.
In these Laws the words 'he', 'him' and 'his' include 'she' and 'her'.

PREFACE

The Laws of Chess cannot cover all
possible situations that may arise during a game, nor can they regulate all
administrative questions. Where cases are not precisely regulated by an Article
of the Laws, it should be possible to reach a correct decision by studying
analogous situations, which are discussed in the Laws. The Laws assume that
arbiters have the necessary competence, sound judgement and absolute
objectivity. Too detailed a rule might deprive the arbiter of his freedom of
judgement and thus prevent him from finding the solution to a problem dictated
by fairness, logic and special factors.

FIDE appeals to all chess players
and federations to accept this view.
A member federation is free to introduce more detailed rules provided they:

a.do not conflict in any way with the
official FIDE Laws of Chess

b.are
limited to the territory of the federation in question; and

c.are
not valid for any FIDE match, championship or qualifying event, or for a FIDE
title or rating tournament.

BASIC RULES OF PLAY

Article 1: The nature and objectives
of the game of chess

1.1The game of chess is played between two
opponents who move their pieces alternately on a square board called a
'chessboard'. The player with the white pieces commences the game. A player is
said to 'have the move', when his opponent's move has been ’made’.

1.2The objective of each player is to
place the opponent's king 'under attack' in such a way that the opponent has no
legal move. The player who achieves this goal is said to have 'checkmated' the
opponent's king and to have won the game. Leaving one’s own king under attack,
exposing one’s own king to attack and also ’capturing’ the opponent’s king are
not allowed. The opponent whose king has been checkmated has lost
the game.

1.3If the position is such that neither
player can possibly checkmate, the game is drawn.

Article 2: The initial position of
the pieces on the chessboard

2.1The chessboard is composed of an 8x8
grid of 64 equal squares alternately light (the 'white' squares) and dark (the
'black' squares).
The chessboard is placed between the players in such a way that the near corner
square to the right of the player is white.

2.2
At the beginning of the game one
player has 16 light-coloured pieces (the 'white' pieces); the other has 16
dark-coloured pieces (the 'black' pieces):
These pieces are as follows:

A
white king, usually indicated by the symbol

A
white queen, usually indicated by the symbol

Two
white rooks, usually indicated by the symbol

Two
white bishops, usually indicated by the symbol

Two
white knights, usually indicated by the symbol

Eight
white pawns, usually indicated by the symbol

A
black king, usually indicated by the symbol

A
black queen, usually indicated by the symbol

Two
black rooks, usually indicated by the symbol

Two
black bishops, usually indicated by the symbol

Two
black knights, usually indicated by the symbol

Eight
black pawns, usually indicated by the symbol

2.3The initial position of the pieces on the chessboard is as
follows:

2.4The eight vertical columns of squares
are called 'files'. The eight horizontal rows of squares are called ranks'. A
straight line of squares of the same colour, touching corner to corner, is
called a 'diagonal'.

Article 3: The moves of the pieces

3.1It is not permitted to move a piece to a
square occupied by a piece of the same colour. If a piece moves to a square
occupied by an opponent's piece the latter is captured and removed from the
chessboard as part of the same move. A piece is said to attack an opponent's
piece if the piece could make a capture on that square according to Articles
3.2 to 3.8.

A piece is considered to
attack a square, even if such a piece is constrained from moving to that square
because it would then leave or place the king of its own colour under attack.

3.2The bishop may move to any square along
a diagonal on which it stands.

3.3The rook may move to any square along the file or the rank on
which it stands.

3.4The queen may move to any square along
the file, the rank or a diagonal on which it stands.

3.5When making these moves the bishop, rook
or queen may not move over any intervening pieces.

3.6The knight may move to one of the
squares nearest to that on which it stands but not on the same rank, file or
diagonal.

3.7a.The
pawn may move forward to the unoccupied square immediately in front of it on
the same file, or

b.on
its first move the pawn may move as in (a); alternatively it may advance two
squares along the same file provided both squares are unoccupied, or

c.the
pawn may move to a square occupied by an opponent's piece, which is diagonally
in front of it on an adjacent file, capturing that piece.

d.

A pawn attacking a square
crossed by an opponent's pawn which has advanced two squares in one move from
its original square may capture this opponent's pawn as though the latter had
been moved only one square. This capture is only legal on the move following
this advance and is called an 'en passant' capture.

e.When
a pawn reaches the rank furthest from its starting position it must be
exchanged as part of the same move for a newqueen, rook, bishop
or knight of the same colour. The player's choice is not restricted to pieces
that have been captured previously. This exchange of a pawn for another piece
is called 'promotion' and the effect of the new piece is immediate.

3.8 a.There are two different ways of moving the
king, by:

i.moving
to any adjoining square not attacked by one or more of the opponent's pieces.

or

ii. ‘castling'.
This is a move of the king and either rook of the same colour on the same rank,
counting as a single move of the king and executed as follows: the king is
transferred from its original square two squares towards the rook, then that
rook is transferred to the square the king has just crossed.

(1)The
right to castle has been lost:

a.if
the king has already moved, or

b.with
a rook that has already moved

(2)Castling
is prevented temporarily

a.if
the square on which the king stands, or the square which it must cross, or the
square which it is to occupy, is attacked by one or more of the opponent's
pieces.

b.if
there is any piece between the king and the rook with which castling is to be
effected.

3.9 The
king is said to be 'in check' if it is attacked by one or more of the
opponent's pieces, even if such pieces are constrained from moving to that
square because they would then leave or place their own king in check. No piece can be moved that will
either expose the king of the same colour to check or leave that king in check.

Article 4: The act of moving the
pieces

4.1Each move must be made with one hand
only.

4.2Provided that he first expresses his
intention (for example by saying "j'adoube" or "I adjust"),
the player having the move may adjust one or more pieces on their squares.

4.3Except as provided in Article 4.2, if
the player having the move deliberately touches on the chessboard

a.one
or more of his own pieces, he must move the first piece touched that can be
moved , or

b.one or more of his opponent's pieces,
he must capture the first piece touched, which can be captured, or

c.one
piece of each colour, he must capture the opponent's piece with his piece or,
if this is illegal, move or capture the first piece touched which can be moved
or captured. If it is unclear, whether the player’s own piece or his opponent’s
was touched first, the player's own piece shall be considered to have been
touched before his opponent's.

4.4aIf a player deliberately touches his king
and rook he must castle on that side if it is legal to do so.

b.If
a player deliberately touches a rook and then his king he is not allowed to
castle on that side on that move and the situation shall be governed by Article
4.3(a).

c.If
a player, intending to castle, touches the king or king and rook at the same
time, but castling on that side is illegal, the player must make another legal
move with his king which may include castling on the other side. If the king
has no legal move, the player is free to make any legal move.

d.If
a player promotes a pawn, the choice of the piece is finalised, when the piece
has touched the square of promotion.

4.5If none of the pieces touched can be
moved or captured, the player may make any legal move.

4.6When, as a legal move or part of a
legal move, a piece has been released on a square, it cannot then be moved to
another square. The move is considered to have been made when all the relevant
requirements of Article 3 have been fulfilled

a.in the case of a capture, when
the captured piece has been removed from the chessboard and the player, having
placed his own piece on its new square, has released this capturing piece from
his hand;

b.in
the case of castling, when the player's hand has released the rook on the
square previously crossed by the king. When the player has released the king
from his hand, the move is not yet made, but the player no longer has the right
to make any move other than castling on that side, if this is legal;

c.in
the case of the promotion of a pawn, when the pawn has been removed from the
chessboard and the player's hand has released the new piece after placing it on
the promotion square. If the player has released from his hand the pawn that
has reached the promotion square, the move is not yet made, but the player no longer
has the right to play the pawn to another square.

4.7A player forfeits his right to a claim
against his opponent's violation of Article 4.3 or 4.4once he
deliberately touches a piece.

Article 5: The completion of the
game

5.1a.The
game is won by the player who has checkmated his opponent's king. This
immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the checkmate
position was a legal move.

b.The game is won by the player whose
opponent declares he resigns. This immediately ends the game.

5.2a.The
game is drawn when the player to move has no legal move and his king is not in
check. The game is said to end in 'stalemate'. This immediately ends the game,
provided that the move producing the stalemate position was legal.

b.The
game is drawn when a position has arisen in which neither player can checkmate
the opponent’s king with any series of legal moves. The game is said to end in
a ‘dead position’. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move
producing the position was legal.

c.The game is drawn upon agreement
between the two players during the game. This immediately ends the game. (See
Article 9.1)

d.The
game may be drawn if any identical position is about to appear or has appeared
on the chessboard at least three times. (See Article 9.2)

e.The game may be drawn if each player
has made at leastthe last 50 consecutive moves without the
movement of any pawn and without any capture. (See Article 9.3)

COMPETITION RULES

Article 6: The chess clock

6.1'Chess clock' means a clock with two
time displays, connected to each other in such a way that only one of them can
run at one time.
'Clock' in the Laws of Chess means one of the two time displays.
'Flag fall' means the expiration of the allotted time for a player.

6.2a.When
using a chess clock, each player must make a minimum number of moves or all
moves in an allotted period of time and/or may be allocated an additional
amount of time with each move. All these must be specified in advance.

b.The
time saved by a player during one period is added to his time available for the
next period, except in the 'time delay' mode.
In the time delay mode both players receive an allotted 'main thinking time'.
Each player also receives a 'fixed extra time' with every move. The countdown
of the main time only commences after the fixed time has expired. Provided the
player stops his clock before the expiration of the fixed time, the main
thinking time does not change, irrespective of the proportion of the fixed time
used.

6.3Each time display has a 'flag'.
Immediately after a flag falls, the requirements of Article 6.2(a) must be
checked.

6.4Before the start of the game the arbiter
decides where the chess clock is placed.

6.5At the time determined for the start of
the game the clock of the player who has the white pieces is started.

6.6If neither player is present initially,
the player who has the white pieces shall lose all the time that elapses until
he arrives; unless the rules of the competition specify or the arbiter decides
otherwise.

6.7Any player who arrives at the chessboard
more than one hourafter the scheduled start of the session shall
lose the game unless the rules of the competition specify or the arbiter decides
otherwise.

6.8a.During the game each player, having made his move on the
chessboard, shall stop his own clock and start his opponent's clock. A player
must always be allowed to stop his clock. His move is not considered to have
been completed until he has done so, unless the move that was made ends the
game. (See Articles 5.1, and 5.2)

The
time between making the move on the chessboard and stopping his own clock and
starting his opponent's clock is regarded as part of the time allotted to the
player.

b.A
player must stop his clock with the same hand as that with which he made his
move. It is forbidden for a player to keep his finger on the button or to
'hover' over it.

c.The players must handle the chess
clock properly. It is forbidden to punch it forcibly, to pick it up or to knock
it over. Improper clock handling shall be penalised in accordance with Article
13.4.

d.If a player is unable to use the clock,
an assistant, who is acceptable to the arbiter, may be provided by the player
to perform this operation. His clock shall be adjusted by the arbiter in an
equitable way.

6.9A flag is considered to have fallen when
the arbiter observes the fact or when either player has made a valid claim to
that effect.

6.10Except where Articles 5.1 or one of the
Articles 5.2 (a), (b) and (c) apply, if a player does not complete the
prescribed number of moves in the allotted time, the game is lost by the
player. However, the game is drawn, if the position is such that the opponent
cannot checkmate the player’s kingby any possible series of legal
moves, even with the most unskilled counterplay.

6.11Every indication given by the clocks is
considered to be conclusive in the absence of any evident defect. A chess clock
with an evident defect shall be replaced. The arbiter shall replace the clock
anduse his best judgement when determining the times to be shown
on the replacement chess clock.

6.12If both flags have fallen and it is
impossible to establish which flag fell first then

a.
the game shall continue if it happens in any period of the game except the last
period.

b. the game is drawn if it happens in the
period of a game, in which all the remaining moves must be completed.

6.13a.If
the game needs to be interrupted, the arbiter shall stop the clocks.

b.A
player may stop the clocks only in order to seek the arbiter's assistance, for
instance when promotion has taken place and the piece required is not
available.

c.The arbiter shall decide when the game
is to be restarted in either case.

d.If
a player stops the clocks in order to seek the arbiter's assistance, the
arbiter shall determine if the player had any valid reason for doing so. If it
is obvious that the player has no valid reason for stopping the clocks, the
player shall be penalised according to article 13.4.

6.14If an irregularity occurs and/or the
pieces have to be restored to a previous position, the arbiter shall use his
best judgement to determine the times to be shown on the clocks. He shall also,
if necessary, adjust the clock's move counter.

6.15Screens, monitors, or demonstration boards
showing the current position on the chessboard, the moves and the number of
moves made, and clocks which also show the number of moves, are allowed in the
playing hall. However, the player may not make a claim relying solelyon
information shown in this manner.

Article 7: Irregularities

7.1a..If during a game it is foundthat
the initial position of the pieces was incorrect, the game shall be

cancelled and a new game played.

b.If
during a game it is found that the only error is that the chessboard has been
placed contrary to Article 2.1, the game continues but the position reached
must be transferred to a correctly placed chessboard.

7.2If
a game has begun with colours reversed, then it shall continue, unless the
arbiter rules otherwise.

7.3If
a player displaces one or more pieces, he shall re-establish the correct
position on his own time. If necessary, either the player or his opponent shall
stop the clocks and ask for the arbiter's assistance. The arbiter may penalise
the player who displaced the pieces

7.4 a.If during a game it is found that an
illegal move,including failing to meet the requirements of the

promotion of a pawn or capturing the opponent’s
king, has been completed, the position immediately before the irregularity
shall be reinstated. If the position immediately before the irregularity cannot
be determined, the game shall continue from the last identifiable position
prior to the irregularity. The clocks shall be adjusted according to Article
6.14. Article 4.3 applies to the move replacing the illegal move. The game
shall then continue from this reinstated position.

b.After the action taken under Article
7.4(a), for the first two illegal moves by a player the arbiter shall give two
minutes extra time to his opponent in each instance; for a third illegal move
by the same player, the arbiter shall declare the game lost by this player.

7.5If
during a game it is found that pieces have been displaced from their squares,
the position before the irregularity shall be reinstated. If the position
immediately before the irregularity cannot be determined, the game shall
continue from the last identifiable position prior to the irregularity. The
clocks shall be adjusted according to Article 6.14. The game shall then
continue from this re-instated position.

Article 8: The recording of the moves

8.1
In the course of play each player
is required to record his own moves and those of his opponent in the correct
manner, move after move, as clearly and legibly as possible, in the algebraic
notation (Appendix E), on the ‘scoresheet’ prescribed for the competition. It
is forbidden to write the moves in advance, unless the playeris claiming a draw according to Article 9.2
or 9.3.
A player may reply to his opponent's move before recording it, if he so wishes.
He must record his previous move before making another. Both players must
record the offer of a draw on the scoresheet. (Appendix E.12)
If a player is unable to keep score, an assistant, who is acceptable to the
arbiter, may be provided by the player to write the moves. His clock shall be
adjusted by the arbiter in an equitable way.

8.2The
scoresheet shall be visible to the arbiter throughout the game.

8.3The
scoresheets are the property of the organisers of the event.

8.4If a player has less than five
minutes left on his clock at some stage in a period and does not have additional
time of 30 seconds or more added with each move, then he is not obliged to meet
the requirements of Article 8.1. Immediately after one flag has fallen the
player must update his scoresheet completely before moving a piece on the
chessboard

8.5 a.If
neither player is required to keep score under Article 8.4, the arbiter or an
assistant should try to be

present and keep score.
In this case, immediately after one flag has fallen, the arbiter shall stop the
clocks. Then both players shall update their scoresheets, using the arbiter's
or the opponent's scoresheet.

b.If
only one player is not required to keep score under Article 8.4 he must, as
soon as either flag has fallen, update his scoresheet completely before moving
a piece on the chessboard. Provided it is the player's move, he may use his
opponent's scoresheet, but must return it before making a move

c.If
no complete scoresheet is available, the players must reconstruct the game on a
second chessboard under the control of the arbiter or an assistant. He shall
first record the actual game position, clock times and the number of moves
made, if this information is available, before reconstruction takes place.

8.6If
the scoresheets cannot be brought up to date showing that a player has
overstepped the allotted time, the next move made shall be considered as the
first of the following time period, unless there is evidence that more moves
have been made.

8.7At
the conclusion of the game both players shall sign both scoresheets, indicating
the result of the game. Even if incorrect, this result shall stand, unless the
arbiter decides otherwise.

Article 9: The drawn game

9.1 a.A player wishing to offer a draw shall do so after having
made a move on the chessboard and before stopping his clock and starting the
opponent's clock. An offer at any other time during play is still valid, but
Article 12.5 must be considered. No conditions can be attached to the offer. In
both cases the offer cannot be withdrawn and remains valid until the opponent
accepts it, rejects it orally, rejects it by touching a piece with the
intention of moving or capturing it, or the game is concluded in some other
way.

b.The offer of a draw shall be noted by
each player on his scoresheet with a symbol (See Appendix E13).

c.A claim of a draw under 9.2, 9.3 or
10.2 shall be considered to be an offer of a draw.

9.2The
game is drawn, upon a correct claim by the player having the move, when the same
position, for at least the third time (not necessarily by a repetition of
moves)

a.is
about to appear, if he first writes his move on his scoresheet and declares to
the arbiter his intention to make this move, or

b. has just appeared, and
the player claiming the draw has the move.
Positions as in (a) and (b) are considered the same, if the same player has the
move, pieces of the same kind and colour occupy the same squares, and the
possible moves of all the pieces of both players are the same.
Positions are not the same if a pawn that could have been captured en passant
can no longer in this manner be captured or if the right to castle has been
changed temporarily or permanently.

9.3The game is drawn, upon a
correct claim by the player having the move, if

a.he
writes his move on his scoresheet, and declares to the arbiter his intention to
make this move which shall result in the last 50 moves having been made by each
player without the movement of any pawn and without any capture, or

b.the
last 50 consecutive moves have been made by each player without the movement of
any pawn and without any capture.

9.4If
the player makes a move without having claimed the draw he loses the right to
claim, as in Article 9.2 or 9.3, on that move.

9.5If a player claims a draw as in Article
9.2 or 9.3, he shall immediately stop both clocks. He is not allowed to
withdraw his claim.

a.If the claim is found to be correct
the game is immediately drawn.

b.If
the claim is found to be incorrect, the arbiter shall add three minutes to the
opponent's remaining time. Additionally, if the claimant has more than two
minutes on his clock the arbiter shall deduct half of the claimant's remaining
time up to a maximum of three minutes. If the claimant has more than one
minute, but less than two minutes, his remaining time shall be one minute. If
the claimant has less than one minute, the arbiter shall make no adjustment to
the claimant's clock. Then the game shall continue and the intended move must
be made.

9.6The game is drawn when a position is
reached from which a checkmate cannot occur by any possible series of legal
moves, even with the most unskilled play. This immediately ends the game, provided
that the move producing this position was legal.

Article 10: Quickplay Finish

10.1
A 'quickplay finish' is the phase of
a game, when all the (remaining) moves must be made in a limited time.

10.2
If the player, having the move, has
less than two minutes left on his clock, he may claim a draw before his flag
falls. He shall stop the clocks and summon the arbiter.

a.If the arbiter agrees the opponent is
making no effort to win the game by normal means, or that it is not possible to
win by normal means, then he shall declare the game drawn. Otherwise he shall
postpone his decision or reject the claim.

b.If
the arbiter postpones his decision, the opponent may be awarded two extra
minutes and the game shall continue in the presence of an arbiter, if possible.
The arbiter shall declare the final result later in the game or after a
flag has fallen. He shall declare the game drawn if he agrees that the
final position cannot be won by normal means, or that the opponent was not
making sufficient attempts to win by normal means.

c.If
the arbiter has rejected the claim, the opponent shall be awarded two extra
minutes time.

d.The
decision of the arbiter shall be final relating to 10.2 a, b, c.

Article 11: Scoring

11.1
Unless announced otherwise in
advance, a player who wins his game, or wins by forfeit, scores one point (1),
a player who loses his game, or forfeits scores no points (0) and a player who
draws his game scores a half point (˝).

Article 12: The conduct of the
players

12.1
The players shall take no action that
will bring the game of chess into disrepute.

12.2aDuring
play the players are forbidden to make use of any notes, sources of
information, advice, or

analyse on another
chessboard.

b.It is strictly forbidden to bring
mobile phones or other electronic means of communication, not authorised by the
arbiter, into the playing venue. If a player’s mobile phone rings in the
playing venue during play, that player shall lose the game. The score of the
opponent shall be determined by the arbiter.

12.3The scoresheet shall be used only
for recording the moves, the times of the clocks, the offers of a draw, matters
relating to a claim and other relevant data.

12.4Players who have finished their games
shall be considered to be spectators.

12.5
Players are not allowed to leave the
'playing venue' without permission from the arbiter. The playing venue is
defined as the playing area, rest rooms, refreshment area, area set aside for
smoking and other places as designated by the arbiter.
The player having the move is not allowed to leave the playing area without
permission of the arbiter.

12.6It is forbidden to distract or annoy the
opponent in any manner whatsoever. This includes unreasonable claims or
unreasonable offers of a draw.

12.7
Infraction of any part of the
Articles 12.1 to 12.6 shall lead to penalties in accordance with Article 13.4.

12.8
Persistent refusal by a player to
comply with the Laws of Chess shall be penalised by loss of the game. The
arbiter shall decide the score of the opponent.

12.9
If both players are found guilty
according to Article 12.8, the game shall be declared lost by both players.

Article 13: The role of the arbiter
(see Preface)

13.1
The arbiter shall see that the Laws
of Chess are strictly observed.

13.2
The arbiter shall act in the best
interest of the competition. He should ensure that a good playing environment
is maintained and that the players are not disturbed. He shall supervise the
progress of the competition.

13.3
The arbiter shall observe the games,
especially when the players are short of time, enforce decisions he has made
and impose penalties on players where appropriate.

13.4
The arbiter can apply one or more of
the following penalties:

a. warning,

b.increasing
the remaining time of the opponent,

c.reducing
the remaining time of the offending player,

d.declaring
the game to be lost,

e.reducing
the points scored in a game by the offending party,

f.increasing
the points scored in a game by the opponent to the maximum available for that
game,

g.expulsion
from the event.

13.5
The arbiter may award either or both
players additional time in the event of external disturbance of the game.

13.6
The arbiter must not intervene in a
game except in cases described by the Laws of Chess. He shall not indicate the
number of moves made, except in applying Article 8.5 when at least one flag has
fallen. The arbiter shall refrain from informing a player that his opponent has
completed a move or that the player has not pressed his clock.

13.7a.Spectators and players in other games
are not to speak about or otherwise interfere in a game. If

necessary,
the arbiter may expel offenders from the playing venue.

b.It is forbidden for anybody to use a
mobile phone in the playing venue and any area designated by the arbiter

Article 14: FIDE

14. Member federations may ask FIDE to give
an official decision about problems relating to the Laws of Chess.

APPENDICES.

A.Adjourned games

A1.a.If a game is not finished at the end of the time prescribed
for play, the arbiter shall require the player having the move to 'seal' that
move. The player must write his move in unambiguous notation on his scoresheet,
put his scoresheet and that of his opponent in an envelope, seal the envelope
and only then stop his clock without starting the opponent's clock. Until he
has stopped the clocks, the player retains the right to change his sealed move.
If, after being told by the arbiter to seal his move, the player makes a move
on the chessboard, he must write that same move on his scoresheet as his sealed
move.

b.A player having the move, who adjourns
the game before the end of the playing session, shall be considered to have
sealed at the nominal time for the end of the session , and his remaining time
shall so be recorded.

A2.
The following shall be indicated upon
the envelope:

a.the
names of the players

b.the
position immediately before the sealed move

c.the
time used by each player

d.the
name of the player who has sealed the move

e.the
number of the sealed move

f.the
offer of a draw, if the proposal is current.

g.the
date, time and venue of resumption of play.

A3.
The arbiter shall check the accuracy
of the information on the envelope and is responsible for the safe-keeping of
it.

A4.
If a player proposes a draw after his
opponent has sealed his move, the offer is valid until the opponent has
accepted it or rejected it as in Article 9.1.

A5.
Before the game is to be resumed, the
position immediately before the sealed move shall be set up on the chessboard,
and the times used by each player when the game was adjourned shall be
indicated on the clocks.

A6.
If prior to the resumption the game
is agreed drawn, or if one of the players notifies the arbiter that he resigns,
the game is concluded.

A7.
The envelope shall be opened only
when the player who must reply to the sealed move is present.

A8.
Except in the cases mentioned in
Article 6.10 and 9.6, the game is lost by a player whose recording of his
sealed move

a.is
ambiguous, or

b.is
recorded such that its true significance is impossible to establish, or

c.is
illegal.

A9.
If, at the agreed resumption time

a.the player having to reply to the
sealed move is present, the envelope is opened, the sealed move made on the
chessboard and his clock started.

b.the player having to reply to the
sealed move is not present, his clock shall be started. On his arrival, he may
stop his clock and summon the arbiter. The envelope is then opened and the
sealed move made on the chessboard. His clock is then restarted.

c.the player who sealed the move is not
present, his opponent has the right to record his reply on the scoresheet, seal
his scoresheet in a fresh envelope, stop his clock and start the absent
player's clock instead of making his reply in the normal manner. If so, the
envelope shall be handed to the arbiter for safe-keeping and opened on the
absent player's arrival.

A10.
The player shall lose the game if he
arrives at the chessboard more than one hour late for the resumption of an
adjourned game (unless the rules of the competition or the arbiter decides
otherwise).
However, if the player who made the sealed move is the late player, the game is
decided otherwise, if:

a.the
absent player has won the game by virtue of the fact that the sealed move is
checkmate, or

b.the absent player has produced a drawn
game by virtue of the fact that the sealed move is stalemate, or a position as described
in Article 9.6 has arisen on the chessboard, or

c.the
player present at the chessboard has lost the game according to Article 6.10.

A11.
a.If
the envelope containing the sealed move is missing, the game shall continue
from the position, with

the clock times recorded at the time of
adjournment. If the time used by each player cannot be re-established the
arbiter shall set the clocks. The player who sealed the move makes the move he
states he sealed on the chessboard.

b.If it is impossible to re-establish the
position, the game is annulled and a new game must be played.

A12.
If, upon resumption of the game, either
player points out before making his first move that the time used has been
incorrectly indicated on either clock, the error must be corrected. If the
error is not then established the game continues without correction unless the
arbiter feels that the consequences will be too severe.

A13.
The duration of each resumption session
shall be controlled by the arbiter's timepiece. The starting time and finishing
time shall be announced in advance.

B.Rapidplay

.

B1.A
‘Rapidplay’ game is one where either all the moves must be made in a fixed time
from 15 to 60 minutes; or the time allotted + 60 times any increment is from 15
to 60 minutes.

B2.
Play shall be governed by the FIDE
Laws of Chess, except where they are overridden by the following Laws of
Rapidplay.

B3.
Players do not need to record the
moves.

B4.
Once each player has completed three
moves, no claim can be made regarding incorrect piece placement, orientation of
the chessboard or clock setting.
In case of reverse king and queen placement castling with this king is not
allowed.

B5. The
arbiter shall make a ruling according to Article 4 (The act of moving pieces),
only if requested to do so by one or both players.

B6.
An illegal move is completed once
the opponent's clock has been started. The opponent is then entitled to claim
that the player completed an illegal move before the claimant has made his
move. Only after such a claim, shall the arbiter make a ruling. However, if
both Kings are in check or the promotion of a pawn is not completed, the
arbiter shall intervene, if possible.

B7. The
flag is considered to have fallen when a player has made a valid claim to that
effect. The arbiter shall refrain from signalling a flag fall.

B8. To
claim a win on time, the claimant must stop both clocks and notify the arbiter.
For the claim to be successful the claimant's flag must remain up and his
opponent's flag down after the clocks have been stopped.

B9.
If both flags have fallen, the game
is drawn.

C.Blitz

C1. A ‘blitz’ game is one where all the moves must be
made in a fixed time of less than 15 minutes for each player; or the allotted
time + 60 times any increment is less than 15 minutes.

C2.
Play shall be governed by the
Rapidplay Laws as in Appendix B except where they are overridden by the following
Laws of Blitz. The Articles 10.2 and B6 do not apply.

C3.
An illegal move is completed once
the opponent's clock has been started. The opponent is entitled to claim a win
before he has made his own move. However, if the opponent cannot checkmate the player’s
king by any possible series of legal moves with the most unskilled counterplay,
then the claimant is entitled to claim a draw before he has made his own move.
Once the opponent has made his own move, an illegal move cannot be corrected

D.Quickplay
finishes where no arbiter is present in the venue.

D1.
Where games are played as in Article
10, a player may claim a draw when he has less than two minutes left on his
clock and before his flag falls. This concludes the game.
He may claim on the basis

a.that
his opponent cannot win by normal means, and/or

b.that his opponent has been making no
effort to win by normal means.

In (a) the player must write down
the final position and his opponent verify it.
In (b) the player must write down the final position and submit an up-to-date
scoresheet. The opponent shall verify both the scoresheet and the final
position.
The claim shall be referred to an arbiter whose decision shall be the final
one.

E.Algebraic notation

FIDE recognizes for its own tournaments
and matches only one system of notation, the Algebraic System, and recommends
the use of this uniform chess notation also for chess literature and
periodicals. Scoresheets using a notation system other than algebraic may not
be used as evidence in cases where normally the scoresheet of a player is used
for that purpose. An arbiter who observes that a player is using a notation
system other than the algebraic should warn the player about of this
requirement.

Description of the Algebraic System

E1.In this description,
"piece" means a piece other than a pawn.

E2.
Each piece is indicated by the first
letter, a capital letter, of its name. Example: K = king, Q = queen, R = rook,
B = bishop, N = knight. (In the case of the knight, for the sake of convenience,
N is used.)

E3.
For the first letter of the name of
a piece, each player is free to use the first letter of the name which is
commonly used in his country. Examples: F = fou (French for bishop), L = loper
(Dutch for bishop). In printed periodicals, the use of figurines for the pieces
is recommended.

E4Pawns are not indicated by their first
letter, but are recognised by the absence of such a letter. Examples: e5, d4,
a5.

E5.
The eight files (from left to right
for White and from right to left for Black) are indicated by the small letters,
a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h, respectively.

E6 The eight ranks (from bottom to top for
White and from top to bottom for Black) are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8,
respectively. Consequently, in the initial position the white pieces and pawns
are placed on the first and second ranks; the black pieces and pawns on the
eighth and seventh ranks.

E7 As a consequence of the previous rules, each of the sixty-four
squares is invariably indicated by a unique combination of a letter and a
number.

E8 Each move of a piece is indicated by (a)
the first letter of the name of the piece in question and (b) the square of
arrival. There is no hyphen between (a) and (b). Examples: Be5, Nf3, Rd1.
In the case of pawns, only the square of arrival is indicated. Examples: e5,
d4, a5.

E9 When a piece makes a capture, an x is
inserted between (a) the first letter of the name of the piece in question and
(b) the square of arrival. Examples: Bxe5, Nxf3, Rxd1.
When a pawn makes a capture, the file of departure must be indicated, then an
x, then the square of arrival. Examples: dxe5, gxf3, axb5. In the case of an
"en passant" capture, the square of arrival is given as the square on
which the capturing pawn finally rests and "e.p." is appended to the
notation. Example: exd6 e.p..

E10
If two identical pieces can move to
the same square, the piece that is moved is indicated as follows:

1.If both pieces are on the same rank:
by (a) the first letter of the name of the piece, (b) the file of the square of
departure, and (c) the square of arrival.

2.If both pieces are on the same file:
by (a) the first letter of the name of the piece, (b) the rank of the square of
departure, and (c) the square of arrival.

3.If
the pieces are on different ranks and files, method (1) is preferred.

In the case of capture, an x must be inserted
between (b) and (c).

Examples:

There are two knights, on the
squares g1 and e1, and one of them moves to the square f3: either Ngf3 or Nef3,
s the case may be.

There are two knights, on the
squares g5 and g1, and one of them moves to the square f3: either N5f3 or N1f3,
as the case may be.

There are two knights, on the
squares h2 and d4, and one of them moves to the square f3: either Nhf3 or Ndf3,
as the case may be.

If a capture takes place on the
square f3, the previous examples are changed by the insertion of an x: (1)
either Ngxf3 or Nexf3, (2) either N5xf3 or N1xf3, (3) either Nhxf3 or Ndxf3, as
the case may be.

E11 If two pawns can capture the same piece
or pawn of the opponent, the pawn that is moved is indicated by (a) the letter
of the file of departure, (b) an x, (c) the square of arrival. Example: If
there are white pawns on squares c4 and e4 and a black pawn or piece on the
square d5, the notation for White's move is either cxd5 or exd5, as the case
may be.

E12
In the case of the promotion of a
pawn, the actual pawn move is indicated, followed immediately by the first
letter of the new piece. Examples: d8Q, f8N, b1B, g1R.

F1.Tournament
directors shall have the power to adapt the following rules according to local
circumstances. In competitive chess between sighted and visually handicapped
players (legally blind) either player may demand the use of two chessboards,
the sighted players using a normal chessboard, the visually handicapped player
using one specially constructed. The specially constructed chessboard must meet
the following requirements:

a.at
least 20 by 20 centimetres;

b.the
black squares slightly raised;

c.a securing aperture in each square;

d.every piece provided with a peg that
fits into the securing aperture;

e.pieces of Staunton design, the black pieces being
specially marked.

F2The following regulations shall govern
play:

1.The
moves shall be announced clearly, repeated by the opponent and executed on his
chessboard. When promoting a pawn, the player must announce which piece is
chosen. To make the announcement as clear as possible, the use of the following
names is suggested instead of the corresponding letters, algebraic

A-Anna

B-Bella

C-Cesar

D-David

E-Eva

F-Felix

G-Gustav

H-Hector

Ranks from white to black shall
receive the German numbers:

1-eins

2-zwei

3-drei

4-vier

5-fuenf

6-sechs

7-sieben

8-acht

Castling is announced “Lange
Rochade” (German for long castling) and “Kurze Rochade” (German for short
castling).

2. On the visually handicapped player’s
chessboard a piece shall be considered “touched” when it has been taken out of
the securing aperture.

3. A
move shall be considered “executed” when:

a.in
the case of a capture, the captured piece has been removed from the chessboard
of the player whose turn it is to move;

b.a
piece is placed into a different securing aperture;

c.the
move has been announced.

Only then the opponent’s clock shall
be started.

As far as points 2 and 3 are
concerned the normal rules are valid for the sighted player.

4. A specially constructed chess clock for
the visually handicapped shall be admissible. It shall incorporate the
following features:

a.A
dial fitted with reinforced hands, with every five minutes marked by one dot,
and every 15 minutes by two raised dots.

b.A
flag which can be easily felt. Care should be taken that the flag is so
arranged as to allow the player to feel the minute hand during the last 5
minutes of the full hour.

5. The visually handicapped player must
keep score of the game in Braille or longhand or record the moves on a tape recorder.

6. A slip of the tongue in the
announcement of a move must be corrected immediately and before the clock of
the opponent is started.

7. If during a game different positions
should arise on the two chessboards, they must be corrected with the assistance
of the controller and by consulting both players’ game scores. If the two game
scores correspond with each other, the player who has written the correct move
but executed the wrong one must adjust his position to correspond with the move
on the game scores.

8. If, when such differences occur and the
two game scores are found to differ, the moves shall be retraced to the point
where the two scores agree and the controller shall readjust the clock
accordingly.

9. The visually handicapped player shall
have the right to make use of an assistant who shall have any or all of the
following duties:

a.Make either player’s move on the
chessboard of the opponent.

b.Announce
the moves of both players.

c.Keep
the game score of the visually handicapped player and start his opponent’s
clock, (keeping rule 3.c in mind).

d.Inform
the visually handicapped player only at his request of the number of moves
completed and the time used up by both players.

e.Claim
the game in cases where the time limit has been exceeded and inform the
controller when the sighted player has touched one of his pieces.

f.Carry
out the necessary formalities in case the game is adjourned. If the visually
handicapped player does not make use of an assistant, the sighted player may
make use of one who shall carry out the duties mentioned under point 9a and b.